Member postings for Philip Powell

I recommend the Femi too. Got mine from Stakeseys about 3 or 4 years ago. Wasn't cheap but it does what it says on the tin.

Phil

Got a Femi too, great little saw, lives on top of some drawers when not in use.

Google SketchUp is another option, I believe there is a "professional" pay for version but the basic one is free to use. Not used it myself but my Son enjoys using it.

Phil.

Only if you don't dilute it enough.

Modern soluble cutting oils don't go off like the good old stuff that could make a real pong if left too long.

Phil.

Edited By Philip Powell on 10/02/2020 18:14:42

Depends on the version of MS/DOS as with win 3.11 you had to install DOS first then windows, they both existed together.

Phil

Mick. Have you considered if the leadscrew is different in metric or imperial machines? You might find one has a more useful range of thread pitches or tpi than the other.

When I did my apprenticeship in 1975 to 1979 everything was imperial. I soon left engineering to work in IT and returned to engineering as a machinist in 2010, what a shock, everything had gone metric, drawings are third angle projection, machines are nearly all CNC or if manual have a DRO. But I much prefer to work in metric, everything is much more logical no messing about with fractions or number/letter drills etc. Oops! Opened a can of worms there.

Phil.

Ditto for the Arc versatile vice with swivel base. I've got the 4" version. Good clone of a Kurt, excellent value for money and holds work accurately and securely. The swivel base has been used once in three years, makes a good cabinet weight most of the time. I use a Thor number 2 if anything needs bashing down.

Phil.

At work as well as a very decent set of steel metric slips we have an old and I believe fire damaged imperial set with a few missing slips. The metric set we're not allowed to take into the machine shop, but the imperial set are used for packing/parallels, vey useful indeed when you need a packing piece a certain height and a multitude of other uses (not the metric set though).

Phil

The "G" denotes Gas thread, interchangeable with BSPP

Phil.

Peter

As a model flyer myself I would like to help. But, cam shapes? It sounds like you need help from somebody with a CNC machine, something that not many amateurs have access to. Have you contacted any of your local machine shops? Sorry I can't be much help but I think what you are looking for is very specialist matching work, cams are not an everyday thing.

Phil

Tricky. Not all stainless is non magnetic. Silver steel is magnetic. Silver steel is ground to a close tolerance. Most stainless is drawn. Most stainless cannot be heat treated. Silver steel can be heat treated. Mild steel is magnetic. Mild steel cannot be heat treated.

Best to buy stock from a reputable supplier and keep separate.

Sorry no simple answer.

Phil.

I use my phone...

Phil

I run my Femi dry as per instructions, only two speeds so I just run on the slowest speed all the time.

Phil.

I think you will find it much easier to relay 3 words for your location than longitude and latitude, it much more accurate too by dividing up the world into 3 metre squares. The emergency services have adopted it as well. Check it out fantastically simple idea.

Phil

Ron, I've not cut huge bars in my Femi, 40mm dia is about the biggest so far. I did cut some 125 X 16 ali plate the other day, too wide to fit in the the normal way so I stood it up vertically and put it in the vice holding on the 15mm thickness if that makes sense, cut perfectly. Nice vice too.

When I get a round tuit I'm going to make a table like above in JohnF's picture, should be quite easy and useful.

Phil.

Ron, not on my little Femi, you have to pull down to make the cut, expensive but worth it. My came with a free spare blade and delivery to soften the blow. Great little saw, I keep mine under the bench.

Phil.

I doesn't sound like you were trying to machine 316 then.

Phil.

As Pete says a decent collet chuck should be very repeatable. In my experience they are very accurate (useally) they will hold work firmly without damaging the surface and with care thin walled components can be held.

Phil.

Oh and I forgot to mention in the above post when machining 316 at home (offcuts from the scrap bin) I don't have flood coolant I just drip or brush it on, again it will not harden.

Phil.

I machine 316L all the time at work. I have never had problems with the material hardening, we use standard indexable tips and for some special cases HSS tools. Flood coolant is is used except when tapping or reaming then we use Rocol. The only thing we do different is keep the speed and feed down and for tapped holes drill a little bigger than the standard drill size.

I sometimes take very light cuts with no problems, if you want a decent finish coolant needs to be used. That said 316L is a very nice material to work with and it's easy to get a very good surface finish.

It's only when we machine exotic metals do we problems with work hardening.

Phil.